There Was a Time When
There was a time after the United States of America had just come out of two wars, the 2nd World War and the Korean War, that people were seeking God in huge numbers. I suppose because many had no idea where else to turn! In times of trouble, people and nations look for help. In this time of trouble, the nation was looking to God for answers.
During the great depression many men and women everywhere lost everything that they had. Jobs were scarce and money was even scarcer. Some turned to suicide because they felt helpless to confront the situation at hand while others found strength in God and family and worked as a family unit to stay together. Still others turned away from God as they had their faith shattered by the events of the day of which they felt surely if there was a God then He could not have allowed this kind of suffering. (We’ll talk about why God allows suffering in another article.)
Today I want to focus on why the world is not seeking God but instead tends to lean on ones own understanding. Making it up as they go, if you will or maybe even serving a false God!
Here is a proverb that talks about what we are going to discuss in this article!
Prov 3:5-7
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.
7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and depart from evil.
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Getting right back to the time frame that I was talking about in the opening paragraph, you quickly realize that there is a reason for war, all wars! They come about because of this.
James 4:1-3
4:1 Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members?
2 You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask.
3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.
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Whether it was the First World War or any other war, they came about because someone or some government wanted something that they did not have. Power, money, land or some form of these three things.
Today we are at war as well! I’m not talking about the war in Iraq but the one here at home right where we live. People at work are fighting for power and stepping on one another just to get ahead. Children have to compete for time with their parents as the parents try to have more of all the things that are available to us. Today many do not recognize us as far as the quality of the character of our person is concerned, but instead we are measured by how we look, how sexy we appear, the kind of car we drive and how nice our home is!
I grew up in a society when your word actually meant something! If you shook someone’s hand and agreed to something then you were expected to do it. Period! Your reputation and family name was something that you could actually trade on and count on. People knew one another by how honest they were and by the type of family that they grew up in. You could get a job then just because someone knew your father and knew that he was an honorable person and a dependable worker. Well, not so today!
Of course this was a time when TV didn’t dominate the front room of every home with mindless programs. People actually sat down and had dinner together all at one time. Parents actually knew something about their children and the children actually respected their parents.
Now days a stray animal has more protection than an unborn child! Is that sad or not? You can go to jail for killing a stray dog or cat in some cities but you can kill an unborn child in all 50 states without having to worry about being arrested.
Satan is doing a good job at destroying family values and we are just sitting back and watching!
Did you know that you could destroy an entire country by breaking down the family unit? I’m talking about the relationship between people in a traditional family unit, not what some call a family today. {Maybe we need to write a separate article on how God instituted the family unit and how it is supposed to work}. Fathers used to be looked up to, not made fun of such as is done in every sitcom on TV today. Have you ever noticed that in every one of these shows the father is portrayed as dumb and incompetent? Think about the message this is sending to our children.
There is an old saying that “History repeats itself”! Well yes it does but does anyone ever stop and ponder why it does? The answer is self evident and more so today than at any time in history.
History repeats itself because man keeps making the same mistakes over and over. Man falsely makes the assumption that he is smarter today than his parents were when they were his age so therefore he won’t make the same mistakes that his parents made. If that were true, we would not have all of the calamities that befall man today.
Simon Heffer said, “Why, when we’re so much better educated, do we know so little?” The answer has something to do with us equating the amount of information we have at our disposal today as knowledge. Knowledge is not always wisdom!
Of course it is not entirely mans fault either! Satan set mankind on this path as soon as he could to try and destroy the plan that God started in bringing us all into His Kingdom as His family for eternity.
If you were not aware that God created you to be part of His family for eternity, then here is some good news! (Paul writing to the Philippians)
Phil 2:14-16
14 Do all things without complaining and disputing,
15 that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,
16 holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.
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And again here: (this time John writing)
John 1:11-12
11 He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.
12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:
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And here:
1 John 3:1-2
3:1 Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.
2 Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.
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I could go on but this subject is pretty well covered in our 3 part series “What Is The Kingdom Of God”
Let’s get back to our story in the Garden of Eden.
Man’s fall started in the Garden of Eden when Satan convinced man that he did not need to listen to God’s instruction but instead should partake of the tree of “the knowledge of good and evil” and then man could make up his own mind as to what was right and wrong. Men are still doing that today!
Gen 3:4-5
4 Then the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. (Big fat lie! Satan tried from the very beginning to make man think that he was immortal and that he would live forever). {My comment here}
5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
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Surely man would choose right? Well, look around at the condition of the world and world affairs in general today and try to convince yourself that man has that ability!
Even the Apostle Paul had to deal with some of the same issues that we are dealing with today. Here we read what Paul wrote about the Romans.
Rom 1:28-32
28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting;
29 being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers,
30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful;
32 who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.
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Now today when someone stands up and points out that man is doing something wrong he or she is called a legalist. I suppose the opposite of being a legalist is that you are an illegalitst. ???
Here is what scripture says:
Isa 5:20-21
20 Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
21 Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, And prudent in their own sight!
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I guess it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise since we are living in a world that is under the influence of the one called in scripture the Adversary, the Deceiver or Satan!
2 Cor 4:3-4
3 But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing,
4 whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.
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Actually scripture says that most of mankind is simply deceived and does not understand and here is why.
Rev 12:9-10
9 So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
10 Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, "Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.
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The time is coming again when men and women everywhere will know that there is a God! The things that are prophesied to come upon this earth before the return of our Lord and Savior is going to bring man to his knees.
Rom 14:11-12
11 For it is written: "As I live, says the LORD, Every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall confess to God."
12 So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.
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Will man wait until the end is at the door to seek God or will some begin to heed His call today and turn away from their ways and seek the ways of God the Father?
Matt 7:22-23
22 Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?'
23 And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'
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I mentioned earlier that some are even unknowingly serving a false God. [Cars, homes, jobs, money, etc] But there is also a false Christianity that many people are not aware of and this is what Matt 7:22 is talking about. Many call on the name of Jesus but they do not want to do what He said.
Luke 6:46
46 "But why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do the things which I say?
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And so we have gone full circle! From the time when this nation called upon God for help and deliverance up to today when man pretty much thumbs his nose at what God has given us instruction to do.
Then there finally comes the end of the age when God has to cut time short to keep us from destroying all flesh on earth.
Matt 24:21-25
21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.
22 And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened.
23 Then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or 'There!' do not believe it.
24 For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.
25 See, I have told you beforehand.
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And again here:
Mark 13:19-20
19 For in those days there will be tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of creation which God created until this time, nor ever shall be.
20 And unless the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake, whom He chose, He shortened the days.
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What is it going to take to get mans attention? 911 did it for a short while! People poured out in huge numbers to fill Churches all over this Nation. Save me, save me man says to God! But what happened? We slide right back into complacency, maybe even more so than before.
Church attendance is down to about the same numbers as before 911. We’re feeling pretty safe to go out and have our own way again. By the way: Just attending a Church does not make you a Christian! So don’t be confused if someone you know goes to church but acts like a jerk. Don’t let that confuse or discourage you! If you want to be a Christian then you need to follow Christ and His examples. If you are going to call on His name then you have to do what He says, period!
Ps 69:32-34
32 The humble shall see this and be glad; And you who seek God, your hearts shall live.
33 For the LORD hears the poor, And does not despise His prisoners.
34 Let heaven and earth praise Him, The seas and everything that moves in them.
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Lord, Thy Kingdom come! It’s going to take some time to clean up the mess that we have made.
Written by:
Dave Campbell, Minister
A Church of God Ministry
